Flax scutching and dressing apparatus



APPLICATION FILED MAR. I, I9I8.

Patgntd Mar. 7, 1922.

5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

A framvncs.

W. McEWEN AND W. ROBINSON. FLAX scurcume AND DRESSING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I 1918.

1,408,460. Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

5 SNEETS-SHEET 2- W. McEWEN AND W. ROBINSON.

FLAX SCUTCHlNG AND DRESSING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION man MAR. 1, 191a.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Fig.5;

' AifO/PNE'YS.

W. McEWEN AND W. ROBINSON.

FLAX SCUTCHING AND DRESSING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 1. 1918.

1,408,460. Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

5 SHEElS-SHEEI 4- l Q g n m Am:

5r My TTURNE W. McEWEN AND W. ROBINSON.

FLAXv SCUTCHING AND DRESSI NG APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I. 1918.

1,408,460. Patented Mar- 7,1922.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

(- rflrlllilllln UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

WILLIAM MOEWEN, OF BAL LYGOWAN, AND WILLIAM ROBINSON, OF BALLY IRELAND;SAID ROBINSON ASSIGNOR TO: SAID MOEWEN.

FLAIX sourcnnve Am) nnnssnvs APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

Application filed March 1, 1918. Serial No. 219,916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, VVlLLIAM MoEwnN, residing at Ballygowan, countyDown, Ireland, and WILLIAM RoniNsoN, residing at Ballycloughan, countyDown, Ireland,

both subjects of the King of Great Britain improved apparatus for thispurpose.

Under the present invention the improved apparatus comprises a frameworkhaving means in connection therewith for iolding, conveying and treatingthe flax in its passage through the machine and there is also: inconnection with the machine means for turning the holding and conveyingmeans whereby both sides of the flax are operated on. b

' In carrying out the invention the flax is carried along, or round, arectangular or other frame in suitable holders, or not. as

desired, preferably afterthe manner of a hackling machine, the flaxbeing carried along so that it can be acted on by breaking devicesbeating or scutching devices, and a dressing device or equivalent, so asto cause the flax to be broken or crimped or beaten, or scutched,

thearrangement being such that the whole of the flax is subjected to theaction of the mechanism.

\Vhen holders are used they are, preferably made automaticallyreversible and also automatically releasable in any well known manner. pInstead of holders for carrying theflax, belt or equivalent conveyorsmay be used.

In apparatus as constructed under this invention, the flax ran be underobservation and control throughout or at'any period of its treatment andthe holder devices may,

if desired, be so made and operated as topermit of the attendantvaryingthe scutching and (or) dressing of the flax where con-;

sidered advisable.

I The drum or other heaters, and the dressing device, or devices, may bemade, arranged, and operated so that they will act alternately, orotherwise, in opposite dlrections, those acting in one directionscutching or dressing one side of the flax, whilst those acting in theopposite direction scutching or dressing the other side of the flax.

In order that the invention may be understood we have hereunto appendedexplanatory drawings whereon: V i

Fig. l is a plan of a flax breaking and seutching mill in accordancewith ourinvention and wherein we employ holders and holder operatinggear with filling and Chang ing mechanism after the manner of a hacklingmachine. The holders are shown in position in the rail at the top ofFig. 1 Whilst the rail at the bottom is shown without the holders so asto clearly show thestock and beaters or handles.

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a central turning portion of the rail which isprovided so that both sides of the flax may be scutched from the insideof the machine.

Fig. 1 is a detail showing a spring device for sorting out the flax asit passes in between the scutching handles, or heaters,

' and the stock.

F ig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 3 is a cross sectionalelevation on the line w, :12, Fig. 1. v

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional elevation on the line :z ;z Fig. 1. U Q

Figs. 5 and 6 are detail views of the breaking devices provided underthe invention.

Figs. 7 to 13 show diagrannnatically how belt conveyors may be used forconveying the flax instead of the holding devices shown in Figs. 1 and2. I v Referring to the drawings In the example shownin Figs. 1 to 4 wehaveprovided, at each side of themill or machine, three breaking devicesa a and.

a heaters or scutchers b to b? and a dressing device 0. The heaters orscutchers '6 to 6 act on the one side of the flax and the heaters orscutchers If to 6 act on the otherside, the holders being turned at. (Zto present the undressed side ofthe flax to the boaters 5 to a. The flaxis carried past the breaking and scutching devices in holders similar tothe holders of a hackling machine, the holders being filled at thefilling end 9 (similar to the filling end of a hackling machine) andpulled through at the changing end it (similar to the changing end of ahackling machine). The holders f are moved along the rails 70 bymechanism such as used "in hackling machines and at the center, at (Z,we provide a turnable section of the rails is. The portion 70 is turnedthrough a semi-circle at each backward movement o'l the holder movingbar Z at which times the holders are stationary. The turnable section 70is supported "from below so as to allow free movement of the holders andthe turning of the section 70 is effected by providing a ratchet toothedwheel 70 and a spring toothed rack Z depending from the bar Z and havingits teeth Z so made that they are effective in one direction only andact on the toothed wheel. 70 to turn sam during the backward movement ofthe rod Z and so that during the forward movement the teeth Z slip overthe teeth it without affecting the wheel 71?. The breaking devices(uh-(E, and a, shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and also in detail at Figs. 5 and6, each consist of pairs of toothed plates eccentrically operated. Oneof the plates is slidably supported and, by means of, eccentrics n androds 11, and n is given an inwards and outwards motion combined with apartly rolling motion, or an upward and downward motion relatively tothe other plate, whereby the boon or woody matter of the flax iseffectively broken. a 72?, are mounted on two separate eccentrics setout of phase one with the other. The inner or moving plate is showncurved in Fig. 3 whilst the corresponding plate in the detail view, Fig.5, is shown quite straight. The shape of plates and teeth and also thenumber and pitch and depth oi mesh of the teeth may be varied to givethe desired breaking action and it may be found necessary to makevariations to suit the flax from different districts.

For the purpose of properly freeing the flax from the breaking devices,each time the holder is to be moved, we preferably make the outer platecapable of a limited movement about the spindle (L4 and provide asuitable eccentric or other motion in connection with the top spindle awhereby the top of the plate will be moved outwards just be fore theholder is moved on.

After leaving the breaking devices the flaxpasses to the scutching ofbeating devices, which,'under our invention, consist of drum heaters bto Z having heaters or handles 12 set at suitable angles, and adapted toknock out the shove against curved stock plates 0,suitahly supported.

hen theholders. with the flax scutched on oneside, reaches thecentraljturnable section Z0 it isturned as hereinbei'oredescribed andthe other side of the flax is presented'to the next series of drumheaters, v1Z., Z) to?) which act thereon in the same manner aswe havejust described with reference to the heaters b to b After having passedthe scutc'hing drum b the flax is, in the example shown, further treatedor finishedby a dress- The rods ing device of the class in which thefibre passes between a rotating surface or surfaces and a fixed surfaceor surfaces-to impart the necessary finishto same. The dressing deviceconsists of three pulleys 0 ,0

"and c with a belt 0 around same and carrepeated on the untreatedportion of the flax so that before it leaves the machine. or mill, theflax is completely prepared for hackling.

At Figs. 1 and 2 and in detail at Fig. 1 we have shown spring plates 7and 1' connected with the stock plates 0 which pre vent the flaxentering in too thick bundles between the heaters or handles 6 and theplate 0,-the action being similar to the fingers in presenting the flaxto the handles ofa scutch mill by hand.

The breaking dev1ces,beaters and dressing device at each side of themill are shown on a common shaft 8 which may be drivenin any suitableand convenient manner.

Instead of the holders with their necessarily elaborate and expensiveoperating gear we may, for. small mills, provide a travelling conveyorof the belt type for carrying the flax and presenting it to the brushbreaking and scutching devices hereinheforedescribed. Such anarrangement is shown diagrammatically at Figs. 7,8 and 9. The flax isfed between belts t and t supported in a channel u, or equivalent, andthe portion to be-treated lies over the side of the channel as shown inFig. 9. The heaters or handles would probably be arranged so that eachalternate beater would acton opposite sides of the flax and in place ofthe pull through at the changing end of the mill, shown in Figs. 1 to 6,the flax after one end has been treated would, as shown at 7 and 8, betransferred to another'pair ofbelts w? and @0 arranged parallel to thebelts t and? and so arranged relatively thereto that by means of theangled guide rod 20,01 equivalent, the treated flax will be caused topass between the belts m and e0 and the.

untreated portion from between belts t and I? will be allowed to lieover the side of the channel a sothat as thegbelts w? and 10 carry onthe flaxthe untreated portions will he presented to the breal'ring andscutching devices.

In the modified 'form of belt conveyor, illustrated at Figs. 10 to 13,three'helts t, 't" and t may be used to provide a locking grip on theflax, without'theuse of weights or springs or such like, a fourthtransverse belt t being also used in conjunction with the first threebelts.

The bundles of flax indicated by the letter A, are inserted'between thebelts t and 25 so that the ends of the bundles project at each sidethereof. The bundles are then carried forward in the direction indicatedby the arrows and when each bundle reaches the transverse belt 25* themovement thereof causes the end A of each bundle to be carried over thetop of the inner surface of the belt t as shown at Fig. 12, and thefurther forward movement of the belts t t brings the end under the belt25 so that, as shown at Fig. 11, the flax bundles are locked between thebelts whilst being carried past the. brush breaking and scutchingdevices.

When passing along the channel u the belts t t and t may be turned onedge, as shown at Fig. 13, one end of each flax bundle hanging over theedge of the channel u in order to facilitate the changing of the endexposed for treatment over the edge of the channel.

Having now fully described our invention, what we claim and desire tosecure by Let ters Patent is 1. In a flax breaking and scutchingmachine, a frame-work, and breaking mechanism in said frame-work,comprising toothed plates one of which is pivoted, eccentrics out ofphase and operatively connected with said plates to actuate them, andmeans to move both plates to free the material therebetween.

2. In a flax breaking and scutching machine, a frame-work, and breakingmechanism in said frame-work, comprising toothed plates one of which ispivoted, eccentrics out of phase and operatively connected with saidplates to actuate them, means to move both plates to free the materialtherebetween, a plurality of scutching devices, and a dressing device.

3. In a flax breaking and scutching machine, a frame-work, and breakingmechanism in said frame-work, comprising toothed plates one of which ispivoted, eccentrics out ofphase and operatively connected with saidplates to actuate them, means to move both plates to free the materialtherebetween, scutching devices in the form of drum beaters havingangularly arranged handles, and a dressing device.

4. In a flax breaking and scutching machine, a frame-work, and breakingmechanism in said frame-work, comprising toothed plates one of which ispivoted, eccentrics out of phase and operatively connected with saidplates to actuate them, means to move both plates to free the materialtherebetween, a plurality of scutching devices, and a dressing device,comprising a plurality of belt operated pulleys having dressing handles.

In testimony whereof we ailix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

' WILLIAM MoEWEN.

WILLIAM ROBINSON. Witnesses:

ANDREW HAMILTON, J 01m Knox.

